More than ever before, America’s future depends on working together. We need to celebrate the people and initiatives that leverage collaboration and creativity to strengthen communities, heal partisan divides and invigorate American democracy. That’s why we created the American Civic Collaboration Awards – or Civvys – and celebrated the inaugural winners of this prestigious award on Friday, Oct. 20 at the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C.

More than ever before, America’s future depends on working together. We need to celebrate the people and initiatives that leverage collaboration and creativity to strengthen communities, heal partisan divides and invigorate American democracy. That’s why we created the American Civic Collaboration Awards - or Civvys.

The 2017 American Civic Collaboration Awards finalists all exemplify what it means to embrace diverse perspectives and make a difference. Selected by a panel of civic engagement experts from over 50 nominations, this year’s finalists have achieved on-the-ground impact at the youth, regional and national level. We are pleased to honor them, along with all our nominees, at an awards ceremony and reception on Friday, October 20 at the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C. The winners will be announced in a post following the awards ceremony.

"As we continue through the uncertain times ahead, we will choose to continue to demonize each other or we will choose to lean towards each other and learn to work together. These American Civic Collaboration Awards shine a light into the chaos to provide hope. We are working to increase collaboration and kindness in our civic lives.” Debilyn Molineaux, Bridge Alliance Co-founder.

We’d also like to extend our sincere congratulations to all Civvys nominees, each of whom is harnessing teamwork to help overcome polarization and foster civic renewal.

When we launched the Civvys to honor people working to overcome America’s divisions, we knew we’d get many worthy nominations. But we weren’t ready for the scale and scope of the nominations received, which have been both inspiring and somewhat overwhelming! Despite what the media may feature, the Civvys are evidence that Americans are doing amazing things to get beyond what divides us and strengthen communities at the local, state and national level.

He was explaining why it's so important for mainstream citizens to get involved in politics. Sure, we can keep pointing fingers right and left, but that will never get us at the decision-making table, and therefore off the plate.

Big Tent is delighted about becoming a member of the Bridge Alliance. Why? Because we share the same core values. Like us, they’re dedicated to empowering American citizens and working across the political divide to take on this nation’s greatest challenges. We’re also excited about collaborating with the 65+ world class organizations that belong to their network. We are already in discussions with several new partners and look forward to rolling out a series of joint initiatives over the next year. To learn about the Bridge Alliance’s amazing work just click here.

The short video below walks through how we’re planning to change America’s economic trajectory – moving us from gridlock to shared prosperity. It’s based on lots of great research and online best practices, but we need your feedback to make it even better. We also encourage you to share it – the more people who kick the tires the better!

Click on the logo below to visit our contest site and learn how easy it is to participate!

We're inviting Americans to share their stories about getting things done despite our differences. Whether it's political, religious, racial or even just a passionate sports rivalry - we want to hear how you were able to bridge a divide at home, at work or in your community. It's time the folks in Washington see what's possible when Americans work together.

Don't have a story to share right now? Make sure to check out the current submissions, vote for your favorites and get inspired!

The Big Tent team does regular status reports – and we think it makes sense to share them with you. Below is our current version – it covers everything from what’s going well to what isn’t – the good, the bad and the ugly. We’re in this together so we’ve left out the spin and sugar coating. Plus the door is always open for your input – so if you have any ideas, comments or concerns we want to hear them!